The goal of becoming one of the top three artificial intelligence (AI) countries is to at least rank third in a group with the United States and China. While large language model (LLM) AI is leading with the U.S., the U.S. has a weak manufacturing base. The field of physical AI is a competition between China and Korea.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Ku Yun-cheol responded to a question about the significance of being one of the top three AI countries during a briefing on the 'New Government Economic Growth Strategy' held at the Government Seoul Building on the 22nd.
Currently, the U.S. and China hold an overwhelming technological advantage in the AI field. The goal of being one of the top three AI countries, which means ranking third alongside the U.S. and China, is significantly different from being the first among latecomers.
Deputy Prime Minister Ku noted, 'If China combines DeepSeek with a manufacturing base, it is highly likely to move ahead faster,' while adding, 'In terms of manufacturing base, Korea is ahead of China.'
He continued, 'Depending on how we act now, there is also a possibility of pushing beyond third place,' stating, 'Becoming one of the top three AI countries is not about being the first in a concept other than G2 countries, but rather setting a goal of competing for third place in a group with the U.S. and China.'
In this regard, Bae Kyung-hun, Minister of Science and ICT, emphasized, 'It is a reality that we are currently lagging behind the U.S. and China,' while adding, 'To survive in the current power competition, we need to develop to a level comparable to or within the third tier near the U.S. and China.'
Minister Bae said, 'China is in its current position because it invested heavily in AI and digital in the past,' noting, 'In the area of manufacturing, where we have strengths, China is far behind us. They have caught up significantly now, and they are ahead of us in the AI digital field.'
He added, 'We can't excel in all areas. I'm not saying we will excel in general AI. There are specialized areas, especially in manufacturing and bio. We need to quickly integrate AI into these areas for a major transition.'
He further mentioned, 'To quickly create an AI market ecosystem, we will comprehensively prepare for the lacking areas of computing infrastructure, data, technology, and talent.'
Regarding the 'response to labor market changes due to the expansion of AI adoption,' Deputy Prime Minister Ku stated, 'If we transition to AI, there will be many automated and unmanned aspects,' adding, 'Many new jobs will also be created.'
He said, 'According to recent forecasts from the World Economic Forum, there are expected to be 11 million new jobs due to the spread of AI, while 9 million jobs may disappear,' and noted, 'This spread of AI will lead to the creation of many quality jobs, and we will actively pursue national AI education to enable people to enter this market.'
Deputy Prime Minister Ku emphasized the importance of corporations in the AI transition process. He noted, 'At the center of the 30 major projects set by the government are corporations,' stating, '(In the public sector project) AI tax support will be designed to allow for the fastest processing of national tax through AI experts from private companies like LG, and we will resolve any issues in the system.'
He added, 'With corporations at the center, data needs to be released from the National Tax Service, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Personal Information Protection Commission if needed for problem-solving,' and continued, 'I will pursue all projects with this problem-solving model structure.'